Pink: Singer To Give Away 2,000 ‘Banned’ Books At Florida Concerts

Pink will give away 2,000 free copies of books that have been “banned” by some Florida schools to fans at her Miami performances this week.

The celebrity has weighed in on the controversy surrounding the removal of books with sexual material or themes of sexuality, gender identity, and racism from various libraries and classrooms.
“It’s confusing, it’s infuriating, it is censorship,” she told me.

Authorities in Florida said they aim to limit improper and harmful material but do not prohibit books.
Pink has joined forces with Pen America, a campaign group that claims to preserve author freedom of expression.

According to the report, Florida has had more books banned than any other state in the United States, accounting for more than 40% of all documented occurrences.

“Books have held a special joy for me since I was a child, and that is why I am unwilling to stand by and watch as books are banned in schools,” Pink stated in a statement posted by the organization.

Pink: Singer To Give Away 2,000 ‘Banned’ Books At Florida Concerts

“It’s especially hateful to see authorities aim for books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color.” says Pink This country has made many gains towards equality, and no one should wish to see that progress reversed.”

Copies of four books from Pen America’s Index of Banned Books will be distributed at her gigs in Miami on Tuesday and nearby Sunrise on Wednesday. They are as follows:

Toni Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1987 novel on the horrors and legacy of slavery has been “banned” from nine Florida school districts, according to Pen America.

Todd Parr’s The Family Book, a young children’s picture book featuring many families, including same-sex parents, is on the list in three districts.

The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman – the poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration was moved from the elementary library to the middle school section in a Miami school. Girls Who Code by

Pink: Singer To Give Away 2,000 ‘Banned’ Books At Florida Concerts

Reshma Saujani – was reportedly temporarily removed by a Pennsylvania district last year but does not appear on Pen America’s current list.

According to Pen America, “instances of book bans” have occurred in nearly half of Florida’s school districts. According to the report, school book removals in the United States have increased by one-third in the last year.

The Florida Department of Education has stated that it “does not ban books,” while Governor Ron

DeSantis has branded the idea a “hoax.” He has stated that he desires an education system “free of sexualization and harmful materials that are not age appropriate.”

He made the following statement earlier this year: “Exposing the ‘book ban’ hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination.”Pornographic and improper items sneaked into our classrooms and libraries to sexualize our pupils and violate our statutory education requirements in Florida.”

Pink: Singer To Give Away 2,000 ‘Banned’ Books At Florida Concerts

Manny Diaz Jr, the Commissioner of Education of Florida, tweeted in March, “Students should be spending their time in school learning core academic subjects, not being force-fed radical gender and sexual ideology.”

School districts that have removed books have cited recent state laws, such as the Don’t Say Gay statute, which states that children shouldn’t learn about sexual orientation or gender identity.

Another regulation was enacted last year stating that school publications should be age-appropriate, free of pornography, and “suited to student needs.” A Department of Education-trained professional must approve them, and parents have greater authority to request removal.

Another rule, adopted in 2022, does not enable the “far-left woke agenda” to “take over our schools and workplaces” when educating about race, according to Mr DeSantis.

SOURCE – (AP)